Interesting idea, but not great execution. It's very wordy at times, and I'm uncomfortable with some of the racial stereotypes that are presented. There's a lot of repetition (which plays into the theme, I guess), but not much growth.

Overall, I liked Old Souls, a graphic novel about a man that starts to remember his past lives and re-experiencing the trauma from those lives.

I liked the premise of this graphic novel, but didn't like the execution as it did not seem like a fully formed and asked to sympathize with those I don't think deserve it.

An intense and immersive read about the dangers of remembering one's past lives. I highly recommend this read if you're looking for something dark and gritty.

Really cool premise but the execution lacked. More tell than show. The art and color use are excellent for the tone and helped the story a bit but overall a dissatisfying read.

Chris is a man with a loving wife and child and a steady job at a local mall. His life gets turned upside down when Jack, a homeless man he buys lunch for, tells him that he's Chris's grandmother from another life; Jack has never been able to get over being separated from Chris during the 1937 Raid of Nanking. At first, Chris thinks Jack is insane, but he gradually starts to believe and discover his own past lives. Jack introduces him to Del, who's able to help him delve into other previous lives, where Chris becomes obsessed with a life where he lost a young son to illness. As Chris spirals out of control, Jack tries to help him detach and focus on his present life.

Old Souls has a strong premise that falters a bit in the storytelling. At points, the narrative seems to be caught in a loop, going over the same moments again and again, and the book's momentum stalls. The black and white artwork provides for some stark, noir-like moments. The message is a popular one: embrace the present, don't dwell on the past.

An additional purchase for collections where you have dedicated adult graphic novel readers.

I actually feel bad for this author, because it isn't their fault that I can't give this a proper review. The eARC file for this book is literally impossible for me to read. The artwork is all in this weird red and blue contrast style that I am assuming was PROBABLY not at all intentional, or if it was, maybe it was to dissuade eARC recipients from uploading the ACSM file to pirate sites? If that was the case, I hope the publishers would try again next time with watermarks or something easier to read around, because just a few pages of this graphic novel has me sitting here with a literal headache forming.

I think the initial idea of <i> Old Souls</i> is interesting. The main character happens gets involved with a group of people who can show you all of your past lives and how those connections influence your present. Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, the execution is a bit of a mess. The main character is selfish and unlikable. I found his treatment of his wife to be gross and the ending made me roll my eyes a bit because it destroyed any character development his wife had. More important, however is the cringe-worthy/inappropriate dialect in one of the main character's past lives. Aren't we a bit past writing black characters to say things like, "Massa, sir?"

Since I received an ARC of this book I cannot really comment on the art. The e-copy I received didn't work well, so it was very hard to see the panels--everything was red and blue. Had I been able to see the art properly, I might adjust my rating a bit because from what I could see there were potentially beautiful panels.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The story line is an interesting one. It is fresh and different than many graphic novels that I've read recently. Those are the pluses. The minuses have more to do with the reader than the content. I have no idea if the illustrations are well-done. I am extremely near-sighted and, as such, cannot see 3D renderings. It makes life difficult when confronted with things like the IMAX or this graphic novel. This also made the text difficult to decipher, but the story was well-crafted and it made it worth it. This skews older than my elementary library and I don't know if I have the readers at the public library, but it is a definite recommend for those that would like to expand their GN section to include something new, fresh, and cutting edge.

An interesting graphic novel. Cool artwork and a fun storyline. I'll definitely recommend this one to patrons and friends alike.